For the next Willkommen night we’ve got a fine and eclectic mix of music in store. The Hand are a duo from Bristol who play mesmeric songs on kora and banjo. They toured in Japan last year with This is the Kit (who played a great Willkommen night last November) and while there struck up a rapport with Ichi.

Ichi takes the notion of a one-man band to new heights, conjuring up fun, surprising tunes from steel drum, trumpet, glock and more.

These musical compadres have been on the road in Europe and the UK since March this year, and I believe this is their last gig together before Ichi returns to Japan, so let’s make it one to remember!

Support comes from the delightful Jo Burke (of the Mary Hampton band and Laish), who will be performing her own material.

Friday 3rd July, Sanctuary Cella, Brighton, at 8pm. Tickets are £5 and are on sale online here and at Resident Records – 01273 6060312 – and Edgeworld Records.  More info here

The overflowing Stanmer House lineup has a new addition. Recently seen playing keys with Grizzly Bear, Robert Stillman’s own music exists “somewhere between the fairground, the rural parlor, and the stars” and is influenced by the likes of John Fahey, Kurt Weill, Scott Joplin, and Maurice Ravel.

The lineup also includes The Leisure Society, Alessi’s Ark, Peggy Sue, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Laura Marling’s pianist and banjo player Pete Roe and Caroline Weeks of Bat for Lashes. The event takes place in Grade I listed stately home Stanmer House on Sunday July 5th, tickets cost just £12 from wegottickets.com or Resident Records, 28 Kensington Gardens, Brighton, 01273 606312.

Lovingly compiled and packaged, Willkommen Collective: Volume 1 is a broad cross section of the many faces of the Willkommen Collective. The fourteen tracks include exclusives from our more well known acts (The Leisure Society, Sons of Noel and Adrian etc.) as well as the wonderful selections from our lesser known bands, all in beautiful silkscreened card digipacks for a very low price. The CD is available in shops now as well as directly from us.

Everyone involved in The Leisure Society, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Shoreline, Laish, The Miserable Rich and Kopek is unbelievably excited about tonight’s show at the Union Chapel. This is just a last minute reminder: you can still buy tickets here or there will be some on the door. It’s going to be very memorable.

The enthralling Pete Roe joins The Leisure Society, Alessi’s Ark et al on our overflowing Willkommen micro-festival bill. Pete is an amazing multi-instrumentalist who plays banjo and piano with Laura Marling, guitar techs for Maccabees and recently toured in support of Mumford & Sons. He has a unique guitar style which somehow sees separate bass, rhythm, lead and even percussions lines simultaneously flow from just two hands.

He’s an amazing performer and a great addition to the line-up. More information about the event here and tickets available for just £12 here.